“There are three groups in the team”—PCB source says Babar Azam failed as Pakistan captain again

Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, has had a lacklustre season leading the Men in Green in the current T20 World Cup 2024.

After conceding losses to the USA and India, their fiercest competitors, the Men in Green were in danger of leaving the main event early. Pakistan’s early elimination from the T20 World Cup 2024 has been attributed to the squad’s groupings and the senior players’ incapacity to play at the best of their skills.

Finding a means to bring the squad together was Babar Azam’s biggest difficulty upon taking the captaincy again, according to a source within the Pakistan Cricket Board. Pakistan, according to the source, is divided into three factions: that of Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, and Babar Azam.

“The team is made up of three groups: Muhammad Rizwan leads the third group, Shaheen Shaheen Afridi leads the second, and Babar Azam leads the first. A World Cup catastrophe was certain when senior players like Muhammad Aamir and Imad Wasim returned to the mix, according to the insider, who was cited by The Week.

Also read: Ahmed Shehzad said that PCB’s choice to reappoint Babar Azam as captain was the worst one

“Imad and Amir’s comeback contributed to the confusion, as Babar struggled to extract any noteworthy performances out of them, as they had not participated in elite domestic or international cricket for some time, save in leagues centred on franchises. He continued, “There were even times when certain players avoided interacting with one another and some of them even made an effort to win over every group leader on the team.

Additionally, a senior PCB official came forward to tell that Wahab Riaz, the national selector and senior manager, informed Chairman Mohsin Naqvi of the issues within the team.

“Reportedly, things didn’t work out, but Naqvi held two private meetings with every player and gave them pep talks, asking them to put their problems aside and concentrate on winning the World Cup and he would remove all misgivings in the team later on,” the official stated.